Must-see Images From the New ‘Back to the Future’ Visual History Book

Are you excited for tomorrow? It’s finally the real date that Doc, Marty, Jennifer and Einstein travel forward to in Back to the Future Part II! Maybe you’re a big enough fan that you not only know that, but you’ve already picked up your new Back to the Future 30th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray set, out in stores today. And you’ve got tickets to see all three movies in a row on the big screen tomorrow night. And you’ve got your limited edition Pepsi Perfect bottle, your hoverboard replica and even your own customized DeLorean DMC-12.

If those things are all true, you’ll be picking up the new book Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History, also out today. But if you’re so hardcore, maybe you won’t find any trivia or visual artifacts you don’t already know. If you’re not the biggest BTTF expert on the planet, though, there’s sure to be some new stuff worth ogling. Here are some of the images from the book that have already popped up online (via /Film and i09) that we think are essentials for even the most casual of fans:

Time Machine Designs

Below you can see sketches by production illustrator Andrew Probert and a blueprint by consultant Ron Cobb for the DeLorean time machine, plus storyboards for the moment it’s introduced on screen. The one with the red stripe hardly looks like the iconic vehicle we know and love, but the time machine in the movie could have been a refrigerator. They later chose the DeLorean because it would look like a spaceship in 1955. Interestingly enough, a year before Back to the Future, another Universal sci-fi movie, The Last Starfighter featured a spaceship somewhat based on a DeLorean.

Einstein’s Stunt Double

Co-writer Bob Gale has mentioned that putting Doc’s dog, Einstein, behind the wheel of the DeLorean was a nod to Disney’s The Shaggy Dog. But they couldn’t just put a dog in the driver’s seat and pull the vehicle or actually maneuver the DeLorean by remote control. So, they had a stunt driver behind the wheel wearing a Catalan Sheepdog mask that looks like Einstein’s shaggy mug. As you can see in the photo below.

Flux Capacitor Designs

Below is one of the sketches for the Flux Capacitor on yellow ruled paper (see others at /Film). The funny thing about the ultimate design for the time-travel mechanism featured in the DeLorean is that it’s a blatant copy of the oscillation overthruster from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. That’s no coincidence, either, since both movies were produced by Neil Canton.

Scientist Casting

Another way Buckaroo Banzai influenced Back to the Future is on the casting of Christopher Lloyd, with whom producer Neil Canton had worked on the earlier movie. Lloyd is said to have initially declined the role but then was convinced by his wife to reconsider. Had he not played Doc Brown, here’s a long list of other possibilities, most of them apparently unavailable or not interested, such as Bill Cosby and Danny DeVito, the latter having just worked with director Robert Zemeckis on Romancing the Stone. Fellow Buckaroo Banzai stars Jeff Goldblum and John Lithgow also made the list. Also on the casting sheet is a short list o possible Martys, including Ralph Macchio and initially cast Eric Stoltz.

Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly

Speaking of Stoltz, you’ve probably seen pictures of him in scenes he shot for Back to the Future before he was replaced by Michael J. Fox. Well, the book has a lot more, including the one below where he’s punching Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). Here’s the thing about that shot: it made it into the movie. Watch the scene under the photo for proof, according to Wilson, that Stoltz wasn’t completely cut from the movie.

Title Change

One of the more amusing stories in the history of Back to the Future is the one about how Universal head Sid Sheinberg hated the title and wanted it changed to “Space Man From Pluto.” Producer Steven Spielberg responded that the title change idea was a good joke and everyone laughed about it. The weird thing about Sheinberg’s thinking, as written out in the original memo seen below, is that he says “Back to the Future” sounds too much like a “‘genre’ picture.” But “Space Man From Pluto” doesn’t?

George McFly’s Novel

Speaking of “Space Man From Pluto,” which the memo notes would also have to be the new title of George McFly’s book, instead of “A Match Made in Space,” below is the back cover and synopsis for that sci-fi novel. We never actually saw this in the movie. This was created and written up (by Bob Gale) specifically for Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History.